Agnes Roundtree
by Sesame seed
Summary: Harry is now in his 6th year at Hogwarts, gearing up for his inevitable battle with Lord Voldemort. Yet into this serious atmosphere explodes a girl whom, despite all of her best efforts, is nothing but trouble.......
1. An entrance

It would be fair to say that Agnes Roundtree arrived at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry with a bang. Perhaps not the entrance she was hoping for, as she stumbled into the great feasting hall tripped on one of her shoelaces and sat on Mrs Norris. Mrs Norris then promptly howled and jumping away landed claws out hissing and spitting on top of Lacey Boghert's head, who shrieked and accidentally knocked a tureen of tomato soup all over Ian Wall, whom as everyone knew HATED tomatoes. Which is what Agnes reflected on later, really started the trouble.  
  
The screaming and accusations all of a sudden were stopped by a booming voice crying "silencio!" Everyone turning saw Dumbledore standing in front of the teacher's table, his wand held high in the air and a stern expression on his face. Ian Wall ran forward still dripping with tomato soup barging all the new first years out of way including Agnes who was trying to silently edge into the middle of them. He skidded to a halt in front of Dumbledore, almost slipping over on the soup and opened his mouth to try and justify himself. Ian looked rather like an astonished goldfish as he found that despite visibly straining away, no sound was coming from him at all.  
  
Dumbledore waved his wand again, ".......it hit me in the face, so I couldn't see and fell on Mike Rivers, and it's all her fault anyway!" Ian exploded out with, pointing an accusing finger at the sorry figure of Agnes who was pretending very hard that no-one could see her.  
  
"Come forward my dear" said Dumbledore gently, as Agnes had dropped her head down so low that her very scarlet ears were all that could be seen of her. She stumbled forwards still trembling. "Why did you arrive so late Miss Roundtree?"  
  
Agnes had barely time to marvel at the fact that he knew her name when Hagrid burst into the hall at a run. "Wait, sir! Professor Dumbledore!" he called and then bent over clutching a stitch in his side. "It was 'er uncle. Y'know Tiberius Roundtree? He gone and forgot she was starting 'ere today, just sent me an owl and I 'had to go fetch 'er" Hagrid then paused to take in a big wheezy breath. "Used me motorbike Professor! Tol' her to go into the 'all!"  
  
Agnes smiled nervously, and whispered "sorry". But Dumbledore kindly smiled down at her, and patting her on the shoulder sent her back to the other first years.  
  
The rest of the sorting ceremony passed in a daze for Agnes, she vaguely acknowledged Hagrid's wink, and it was only until she was sitting under the patched hat that she realised where she was.  
  
"I'm tempted you know..." growled a small voice in her ear making her jump "to put you in Hufflepuff, you would do well there, but then ah lots of bravery now that makes a difference....hmmm" Agnes held her breath when the hat suddenly shouted "Gryffindor!"  
  
She ran over to the Gryffindor table not wanting to cause anymore trouble, but remembered when she got there that she was still wearing the hat and had to jog back amidst gales of laughter. When she finally could sink into the depths of her seat she noticed an older girl opposite smiling encouragingly at her. The girl had bright red hair and large green eyes, and what's more looked friendly. "Don't worry about it" she smiled "everyone will have forgotten by tomorrow". Agnes smiled back shyly.  
  
"Ginny!" another girl called, and the red-haired girl lent over the table to talk to Agnes's neighbour. Agnes reflected to herself that it hadn't gone too badly, she'd been really afraid that they wouldn't have let her stay at all. Agnes felt she was almost a squib, her magic was in a word, tempremental, working whenever it felt like it. Uncle Tiberius has assured her that they'd be able to train her up properly at Hogwarts, and she didn't want to disappoint him. He was a firey man, with a shock of ginger hair, always getting into trouble with the Ministry but Agnes adored him, he was the only relative she had left. Unless you counted Grandmother Maud, and Agnes would rather not have.  
  
Agnes was a small plump girl, with thick brown hair that stood out at odd angles from her head, and startled large brown eyes, rather resembling a deer caught in headlights. Her nose was too big, and her mouth too small but she had a sweet smile and her teeth were very good. Even and white, she'd inherited them from her mother Uncle Tiberius had told her, and Agnes hugged the thought to her like the centaurs guarded their secrets.  
  
Of course it was all too good to last, and when everyone was walking out of the great hall, Agnes tripped again on the shoelace she'd forgotten to tie landing on Ian Wall in front again, who knocked into Olive Grace who fell on Mary Peters and so on.  
  
A little way behind Agnes a tall boy with red hair and freckles sighed. "Goodbye house cup" he said.  
  
"Ron!" scolded the girl next to him " she's just a little clumsy that's all. You're not exactly as graceful as a Veela are you?" and when he made no reply "is he Harry?"  
  
The other boy next to her shook his messy black hair out of his eyes and smiled, as they followed the chaos of Agnes Roundtree up to their common room. 


	2. An incident

Disclaimer: Ok, just realised I really should have made one of these before. Um, Harry Potter belongs entirely to J.K.Rowling, except for Agnes Roundtree who is mine. Poor girl, she clearly needs someone to own her. That's it!  
  
"Did you talk to him then?"  
  
"Nah, not really. There was no time before........" Harry had just noticed Agnes who was sitting behind them trying to write a letter with a scratchy quill. "Maybe we should talk upstairs?" he said, as Hermione frowned and then nodded.  
  
But before either of them could make a move, Ron leaned across Harry and called loudly "D'you mind, we're trying to talk here?" They watched as the plump girl jumped and then turned a brilliant shade of crimson before muttering something and scuttling off to the other side of the room.  
  
"Ron!" began Hermione disapprovingly "there was no need to hurt the poor girl's feelings like that"  
  
Across the fireplace and besides the window, which was where Agnes had scurried off to, Olive Grace was enthralling the other first year girls with tales of the heroic deeds muggles and wizards alike had performed to win her love. "But yes, after he had slain the dragon, and of course conquered the troll army, I simply couldn't go out with him" the other first years ooohed and aahed "because father wouldn't allow it you know, he's very protective of me. Anyway Prince Reuben of Lockadamia had just that day asked him for my hand in marriage, well as you can imagine that caused quite a stir!" she trilled with laughter.  
  
"Watch where you're going!" Agnes had just knocked into the back of Olive dropping her letter, "oh it's you" said Olive coldly "the clumsy oaf who can't even walk in a straight line"  
  
"Look" began Agnes "I'm really sorry about earlier, I'm just a little.....well, you know.."  
  
"stupid?" Olive asked sweetly as her friends all tittered and whispered together.  
  
"No!" stuttered Agnes turning even more red.  
  
"Oh what's this?" smirked Olive picking up the letter, and jumping out of the way of Agnes who had shrieked and launched herself at Olive, begining in a mocking voice "dear Uncle Tiberius.........Tiberius Roundtree, I've heard of him, what a nut!" - her friends gasped and laughed,  
  
"stop it!" Agnes cried her fingers shaking as she tried to snatch the letter back "it's none of your business"  
  
Olive completely ignored her and continued "I arrived at Hogwarts ok, Hagrid was really nice about taking me on his bike" she snorted "of course he was, he's got even less brains than you Roundtree. Anyway, what does the rest of it say? Oh, I'm in Gryffindor.......complete miracle Roundtree, complete miracle, blah blah blah, god you're so boring". Agnes was almost crying now and had to keep blinking furiously as Olive's friends were all doubled over now hysterical with laughter. "I miss you very, very much. I can't wait to get to get an owl from you........how old are you Roundtree, five?"  
  
Then Olive shrieked as the letter was whipped out of her hands and into those of the person behind her. "And what exactly is going on?" asked Hermione in a thunderous voice. No-one answered her. "Fine, don't say anything, but I am a school prefect and I won't tolerate bullying, all of you up to bed now! And if I hear so much as a whisper out of any of you tonight, I shall personally march that person down to Professor McGonagall and let her get to the bottom of this", the silence hung onimously and then as Hermione waved her hand the younger girls ran past her and up to their dormitories.  
  
"Are you ok?" it was Hermione again but in a much gentler tone.  
  
Agnes stopped and blushed again "yeah....thanks".  
  
"I believe this is yours" and she handed Agnes back her letter and smiled a little as the younger girl bobbed a sort of awkward curtsey/nod before following the rest of the girls quickly up the stairs.  
  
"I can't believe how catty girls are". It was Ron lounging on the sofa and watching Hermione walking slowly back.  
  
She frowned at him "don't be silly Ron. Unless Malfoy's not been telling us something for the past five years, it's not just girls who are horrible. There's something a little off about that girl though, Roundtree was it? I'm not sure what".  
  
"She's just shy" yawned Ron lazily.  
  
"Don't worry so much Hermione!" smiled Harry "look read Moony's letter again and tell me what you think". He winked at Ron over her head and settled down for a quiet evening.  
  
Meanwhile up in the girl's dormitories a sweet-faced girl was tucking something under her pillow and ignoring the giggling around her before settling into the bed. She wiped the tears off her face determinedly with the sleeve of her nightdress. It was all going to be better tomorrow, she was sure of it.  
  
***************** Author's note: Thank you for the nice reviews! I'm obsessed with Harry Potter (currently on my 10th re-reading of book 4) and was bored the other day so wrote the first chapter in pretty much 10 minutes, it's my first fan- fic thingy and I personally don't think it's that good, but I'll carry on and see where the story goes. I kinda like Agnes after all :o) 


	3. An idea

The day dawned bright and cold. The harsh sunlight swept across the grounds of Hogwarts illuminating the Forbidden Forest as the dark creatures that dwelt within it sought to hide from it's probing rays and then further on to highlight the Whomping Willow who was thrashing it's branches angrily as a little grey squirrel clung on for dear life. It also burst in through the hangings of Agnes's bed and lay resolutely on her eyes forcing her to wake up.  
  
For a second she couldn't remember where she was, but the knot quickly died away as she recalled that yes she had made it to Hogwarts and had been accepted into Gryffindor. Uncle Tiberius had always said that was the best house to be in, both her father and mother had been in that house...  
  
She stretched lazily, her toes reaching the cold little corners of her bed as she curled her legs up again, then she remembered her letter. She sat up quickly and pulled on her robes, pausing for a moment to remove her sock from her head where she'd been trying to force it on and then hurried out of the dormitory and past the Fat Lady, "where d'you think you're going?" she called nosily after Agnes who ignored her.  
  
Eventually finding the Owlery, she persuaded one of the school owls, a big showy brown specimen to take her letter. "To Tiberius Roundtree, alright?" the owl cocked it's head once and then soared up and out of the window. Agnes watched it go delighting in the way it ducked and sped across the sky. She was useless at flying, absolutely useless but it was fun to watch other creatures do it. A door slammed hard causing all of the owls around her to click their beaks and ruffle their feathers indignantly.  
  
"Whoops, sorry!" called a cheery voice. Turning, Agnes saw a round-faced boy with a million freckles and a wide smile. "Didn't know anyone else was in here" he laughed. His teeth were a little crooked noticed Agnes who had a habit of looking at other people's simply because they were her only good feature. "Hi, I'm Tom! Tom Brookes - I saw you yesterday in the hall, you fell over didn't you?"  
  
Agnes blushed slightly and nodded "I'm a bit clumsy" she muttered.  
  
The boy absently mindedly ruffled up his straw-coloured hair and started attaching a letter to a small fleecy grey owl. "Alright Caesar?" he said to it. "Nah don't worry about it, I'm really clumsy too, bet you everyone will have forgotten by now". He patted the owl as it rubbed it's head against him affectionately and then flew out into the morning sky.  
  
"Um thanks" said Agnes "I'm Agnes Roundtree by the way"  
  
"Cool" he said leaning against the Owlery wall "I'm in Gryffindor, first year too".  
  
Agnes was puzzled "but....I didn't see you last night in the common room....?"  
  
"Oh!" he said and laughed "yeah I managed to get myself a detention didn't I? From Professor Snape, I was sort of throwing a dungbomb at Mervin Gould, and um, it kinda missed and hit Snape instead".  
  
Agnes gasped and looking at his twinkling green eyes "you're kidding!" she exclaimed.  
  
"'Fraid not" he replied nochantly. "D'you want to go get some breakfast? I'm starving!"  
  
Agnes laughed and nodded and the two of them set out for the Great Hall. "So what d'you think so far?" Tom began casually "like, are you finding it weird and stuff, y'know, not living at home?"  
  
"Oh.." Agnes said "yes I spose, I....well I just really wanted to come here and um, I dunno. I do really miss my uncle, but still there'll be all the lessons and stuff I expect it'll be christmas before we know it!" she added with forced cheerfulness.  
  
Tom shrugged, then "Oi! Oi you Brookes!" he whipped around quickly just dodging the spell which whizzed past his left ear. A thin spotty boy with dark lank hair was glaring at him (his teeth were a vibrant shade of buttercup Agnes decided) "thought you'd get me into trouble yesterday did you?" the boy shouted.  
  
"Come on Gould, it was only a joke" smiled Tom easily.  
  
Gould ignored him "I'll get you back for that Brookes......course I spose Snape's already done that for me!" he smirked "still, you'd better watch yourself!". Tom snorted. "Oh and I don't fancy your girlfriend much, the walking disaster! I reckon she's just as weird as her uncle" People around them who were watching tittered with laughter.  
  
All of a sudden the grin disappeared from Tom's face and his eyes shone dangerously "leave her alone Gould" he said quietly.  
  
"And you're going to make me now?" sneered Gould.  
  
"Alright then" replied Tom pulling his wand out of pocket.  
  
"No!" said Agnes and grabbed his arm "just leave it, he wants you to get into trouble again".  
  
"What's going on here?" a voice suddenly boomed out from behind all of them. Turning they saw Professor McGonagall standing there hands on her hips disapprovingly. When no-one answered she sighed loudly and then flapping her arms at them almost like a mother hen shooing her chicks into the yard, she bundled the students into the hall.  
  
"So, what was that about?" asked Agnes quietly as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.  
  
Tom who still looked angry shook his head and then helped himself to some toast "His father works for mine, department of International Wizarding Relations......I dunno, he's always like that." He snorted with disgust "I don't usually care, I mean, I know that his family's poor and he's had a hard time of it. His dad's spose to be a tyrant, partly why mine refuses to promote him. Anyway, I just can't stand it when he starts to pick on my mates. It's childish that's what it is".  
  
Agnes felt a warm glow inside with the label of being Tom's friend, as far as she knew she'd never really had friends before....well not proper ones anyway. But then it struck her ".......you threw the dungbomb yesterday didn't you?....So you started it"  
  
"What?" said Tom "oh that. He was being a git on the train kept calling my father 'Chubby Brookes' saying he was an idiot and all this lot. It was doing my head in, so I got a dungbomb off Mike Rivers in the third year and was getting a little revenge when Snape caught me.......ah well."  
  
Agnes smiled sympathetically as a tall black-haired boy and bushy-haired girl crashed into the seats next to them. "We'll do it tonight" the girl whispered "Ron's just sending Pig now with the letter....."  
  
The boy nodded firmly, then turning to take the rasberry jam from next to Agnes with a polite "d'you mind?" his messy black hair fell to the side revealing a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Both Agnes and Tom gasped. The boy looked up quickly and saw them gazing at him with their mouths hanging open. He turned to the girl and said "um, I'll see you later then shall I? Just need to finish some stuff off."  
  
The girl turned to inspect Agnes and Tom, Agnes remembered her as the prefect that had intervened the other night. She frowned a little, and then got up to follow the boy out of the hall.  
  
"Can you believe who that was?" asked Agnes excitedly as soon as the girl had got out of sight.  
  
"Yeah and we're going to follow them tonight and see what they're up to" Tom grinned back at her. 


	4. An egotist

As they made their way across the muddy grounds squelching noisely a screaming whine began, it was like nothing Agnes had ever heard before. Quite a few of the girls shrieked and Agnes heard Olive Grace declare she wasn't going to stay another day at Hogwarts with things like that hanging around.  
  
Tom on the other hand looked intriguied "what d'you think that was?" he asked Agnes excitedley, as the screaming quietened into a low moan. Agnes shook her head quickly and drew her cloak closer to her throat.  
  
"Come on then, let's go find out!" Tom said and broke off into a run towards Hagrid's hut which was not only where the chilling sound was coming from but was also the location of their first lesson for the day; Care of Magical Creatures. Agnes followed more slowly wanting to be walking in the opposite direction to the sound which had now descended into dry sobbing.  
  
"Ah there yeh all are!" a voice said loudly and Hagrid's bushy head appeared from round the corner of his house "Now I'll just be round in a moment, stay there will yeh". Tom stood next to Agnes visibly shaking with excitement. Olive had her arms folded and was looking at Hagrid's house with something that looked a lot like disgust. Agnes shivered a little in the chilly air, the crying was growing fainter and fainter she was relieved to hear.  
  
The air was icy and all the students milling around on the grass breathed little puffs of smoke out as a few of them jumped up and down to warm themselves. "And where is the oaf?" asked a snooty callous voice. Turning Agnes and Tom saw the Slytherins who had just arrived. The speaker was a tall boy with slicked back black hair and a pointy nose, his arms were folded and next to him stood Gould smirking.  
  
"He's not an oaf!" Agnes cried fiercely. She didn't really know Hagrid that well, but he had been so nice when coming to fetch her to Hogwarts and then helping her out in the great hall when she was sure they wouldn't have let her stay.  
  
The tall boy regarded her with amusement "....actually I was talking about you" he said nastily.  
  
Agnes gasped then flushed an angry red as the Slytherins and especially Mervin Gould exploded into laughter. She noticed Olive Grace tittering too with her cronies.  
  
"Fungulitius!" a spell cracked out into the icy air and whistled past the tall boy's ear as he ducked out of the way. The grin fading from his face his cold black eyes fastened on Tom who had cast the spell.  
  
"Brookes" he said quietly, he turned slightly in Gould's direction who nodded quickly. Tom gripped his wand tighter and shifted his stance slightly in the mud. "I've heard quite a bit about you" said the tall boy quietly. "My name is Aidan Lucas".  
  
Agnes heard Tom hiss slightly as he drew in his breath. She didn't recognise the name but from the looks of things lots of the other students did. Olive Grace was looking over Lucas appreciately.  
  
Lucas's obsidian black eyes narrowed "Your father" he said delicately "is a fool".  
  
Mayhem ensued as Tom abandoning his wand lept on Lucas, Gould tried to curse Tom but was held off by Mathew Hodge another Gryffindor first year, Agnes was also trying to stop Tom from punching the daylights out of Lucas when she felt herself being lifted up in the air and then dropped harmlessly out of the way. Slightly breathless she rolled over and sat up to see Hagrid wrenching the fighting boys apart. He shook the both of them with his massive hands "stay there the rest of yeh! Anyone who moves round the back of my hut you'll get what's comin' to yeh". At that precise moment the wailing started up again, the students shivered and moved closer together as Hagrid marched the two boys up towards the castle.  
  
Gould stood watching, pushing his greasy hair out of his frowning face, he then whirled to glare at Agnes who was stood by Mary Peters, a hand over her mouth staring at her feet. "Your boyfriend's in big trouble now!" he snarled at her.  
  
"What?" Agnes started to see the fierce look in Gould's grey eyes.  
  
"Don't you know who Lucas's parents are? Bet Brookes will wish he'd never been born, time they're through talking to Dumbledore!" Gould's expression looked almost manic now as his fists clenched at his sides.  
  
Agnes shook her head slightly "No I don't know who his parents are, but either way Tom was provoked. Dumbledore's fair, he won't expell Tom" she said confidently.  
  
"Trust you not to know" a voice interrupted sneeringly, Agnes swung round to see Olive smiling a nasty little grin at her "Raymond Lucas.....ever heard of him?" Agnes's eyes widened slightly as the implications hit her. "Yes" carried on Olive "Head of the Department of Mysteries and very good friend to the Minister of Magic, some might say, his successor. I wouldn't be in Brooke's shoes now for anything." Her laugh trilled out into the bitingly cold air,  
  
Agnes felt a cold grip of fear on her heart, one friend, that was all she had and she might lose him. She hoped intently that Tom was ok. She didn't seem to be the only one who was worried. Mathew Hodge was glaring at Olive and Gould with dislike and Mary Peters seemed to have her hands pressed tightly together in a prayer-fashion. A lot of the Gryffindors were muttering amongst themselves. The Slytherins simply smiled smugly back.  
  
When Hagrid arrived back, she wasn't the only one who ran up to him to desperately question him about Tom. But he simply shook his shaggy head "we've wasted enough time as it is, lesson's almos' over" he said firmly "now everyone come slowly mind, round the back of me hut".  
  
The screeching they'd all been hearing turned out to come from the ugliest bird Agnes had ever seen. If it could be called a bird, they looked a little bit like a plucked turkey crossed with a snake, with fish-like eyes, three legs and a wicked looking orange beak. There were ten of them perched on various branches and Hagrid's fence throughout the garden. The one on the gate pulled back it's ugly bald head and screamed loudly, it sounded exactly like a wailing woman.  
  
"Called the Brazilian Banshee, it's the noise yeh see, just like a banshee ain't it? 'Cept it has no relation to 'em at all. Right everyone got yeh books? Open 'em on page 43 now".  
  
The lesson was quite interesting, especially later on when Hagrid let them take the birds onto their shoulders. There was a tense moment when one of the birds tried to nibble Olive's ear off. Unfortunately Hagrid stopped it just in time. Still, Agnes couldn't concentrate properly all she could think about was Tom and what would happen to him.  
  
Which was why when the lesson was over and the rest of the Gryffindors headed off for Transfiguration, she hurried up to the dormitories to see if Tom had been sent up there to pack. She found him sitting in the common- room with an extremely glum look on his face.  
  
(AN: Please let me know whether you think this is any good or not! I'm not really sure whether I should carry on writing it, as it isn't working out as I expected. Any feedback is appreciated!) 


End file.
